One of the best shows on television over the last few decades has been PBS's "American Experience". The show has been very well written and often focused on unusual and lesser known stories about the United States....and in this case, "The American Diplomat", it's a story I've never seen or heard talked about before this.
The story is about the earliest black American diplomats. It focuses on three men, Edward Dudley, Terrence Todman and Carl Rowan and how they fought against the ingrained racism of the State Department. The episode is told through old video, photographs and interviews, though none of these three men could be interviewed, as they died some time ago. In light of this, the crew did an awfully good job, but I didn't understand why they slowed down all the stock footage...which was a mild distraction but did not mar the episode and its impact on the viewer.
American Experience The American Diplomat
2022
Biography / Documentary / History
American Experience The American Diplomat
2022
Biography / Documentary / History
6.9Plot summary
The American Diplomat explores the lives and legacies of three African-American ambassadors, Edward R. Dudley, Terence Todman and Carl Rowan, who pushed past historical and institutional racial barriers to reach high-ranking appointments in the Truman, Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations. At the height of the civil rights movement in the United States, they were asked to represent the best of American ideals abroad while facing discrimination at home. Colloquially referred to as "pale, male, and Yale," the U.S. State Department fiercely maintained and cultivated the Foreign Service's elitist character and was one of the last federal agencies to desegregate. Through rare archival footage, in-depth oral histories, and interviews with family members, colleagues and diplomats, the film paints a portrait of three men who created a lasting impact on the content and character of the Foreign Service and changed American diplomacy forever.
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